Package



1951 A. B. WILSON I 2,998,132

PACKAGE Filed Nov. 21, 1960 United States Patent 2,998,182 PACKAGE Allen B. Wilson, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., assignor to Acme This invention relates to the art of packaging and particularly to protectively packaging the end portions of elongated members while securely holding the members in a compact package.

It is customary to package elongated pieces of perforated steel angle by stacking uniform lengths of them in nested relationship and then either covering them with paper or other wrapping material and securing the package by means of binding material such as steel strap. Another manner of packaging is to eliminate the paper or other wrapping material and merely apply straps over the bare metal.

Certain difiiculties have been encountered during shipment of these packages whereby damage has resulted to the ends of the angle pieces. A remedy for this problem has been to provide end caps over the ends of the angle pieces which have adequately protected the ends during shipment. Various types of end pieces have been used, but most, when added to the cost of the steelstrap or other binding material required, provided a relatively high cost in proportion to the total cost of the materials packaged. i

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide an economical end cap for the protection of the ends of elongated members stacked together in a package, and which end cap eliminates the requirement for separate binder means, such as steelstrap, for securing the package because the end cap, itself, is provided with securing means adequate to hold the package runitized.

The improvement of this invention is particularly adapted to the packaging of elongated angle pieces provided with apertures through them whereby fasteners can be applied through them to secure the end caps in position While retaining the package unitized.

Other objects and advantages of the invention should be apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- FIG. 1 shows a perspective exploded and partially cutaway view of a package and end cap components [for practicing this invention;

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view partially cut away of a package of angle pieces with its two end caps in position;

FIG. 3 shows a side elevation of the left hand end of the package shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the package along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

In order to practice the invention, a plurality of angle pieces 1 are stacked in nested relationship as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. At each end of the stack a wooden block 2 is positioned so that it rests upon the uppermost angle 1 along its inside surface 3 which consists of two surfaces 3a and 3b intersecting at a corner 3c. Another stack of angles 4 of the same shape as angles 1 are nested together and placed upon the two wooden blocks 2 positioned at both ends of the angles 1. The inside surface 5 of the innermost angle 4 is positioned against the outside surfaces of each of the blocks 2. When in position on the blocks 2, the angles 1 and 4 relative to the position of the blocks 2 is as represented in FIG. 4 with the stacked arrangement being approximately rectangular in cross section.

With the angles 1 and 4 properly stacked in this manner on the wooden blocks 2, an end cap 6 is passed over each of the ends of the stacked members. Each end cap 2,998,132 Patented Aug.- 29, 1 961 2 6 is preferably deep drawn into a cup-shape having two sets of parallel side walls 7 and 8 extending perpendicular from a base 9. With the openings 10 in proper alignment with the openings 11, nails 12 are driven through the openings 11 and into the wooden blocks 2, as viewed in FIG. 4. Since the holes v11 in the angles are spaced the same amounts from the edges of the angles, these openings 11 necessarily assume a sloped path, as viewed in FIG. 4, because of their being stacked. This necessitates driving the nails 12 through the angles and into the blocks 2 at approximately the same angle of the slope of these holes 11. With the nails 12 secured in place, it is apparent that the angles 1 and 4 are secured to the blocks 2 by means of the nails 12, and the angles 1 and 4 are secured fixed relative to each other because of these nails 12, and the end caps 6 are secured in their positions because of the nails 12. The result is that no additional binding material, such as strapping, is required to hold all of the parts 1, 4, 2 and 6 assembled. In addition, the ends of the packages are adequately protected during subsequent shipment.

Even though openings 10 have been shown as provided in the end caps 6, it is presumed that the end cap material can be sufliciently soft or thin that the nails 12 can be driven through their side walls 8 as required. The main advantage of having the openings 10 already in the side Walls 8 is that this provides a locating feature so that no guess is required in order to line up the nails 12 with the openings 11 in the anglesl and 4.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it should be understood that the invention can be made in many different Ways without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A package of elongated members having perforations therethrough comprising, a block against which the elongated members are stacked with certain of said perforations on the stacked members in alignment with each other to provide a passageway through the stacked members leading to the block for the reception of a fastener, an end cap fitted over the ends of the stacked members and the block, and a fastener positioned through the end cap, the passageway and into the block to provide a connection between the end cap, the stacked members and the block.

2. A package of elongated members having perforations therethrough comprising, at least two blocks against which the ends of elongated members are stacked with certain of said perforations on the stacked members in alignment with each other to provide passageways through the stacked members leading to the blocks for the reception of fasteners, end caps fitted over the ends of the stacked members and the blocks, and fasteners positioned through the end caps, the passageways and into the blocks to provide connections between the end caps, the stacked members and the blocks.

3. A package of elongated members of a type having an L-shape cross section produced by two leg portions extending at an angle to each other and having perforations therethrough comprising, a multi-sided block against which the members are stacked with said leg portions extending parallel to the sides of the block and with certain of said perforations on the stacked members in alignment the p y, and into the block to provide a connection between the end cap, the stacked members and the lock.

4. A package of elongated members of a type each having'an L-shape cross section produced by two leg portions extending at an angle to each other and having perforations therethrough comprising, a multi-sided block having at least two of its sides intersecting at a corner at approximately the same angle as that of the leg portions of the elongated members, said elongated members being stacked on the block with their respective angular portions nested over said corner of the block with the leg portions of the members extending along both of said two sides of the block and with certain of'said perforations on the stacked members in alignment with each other to provide a passageway through the stacked members leading to the block for the reception of a" fastener, .anend cap,.in the form of side walls connected to a bottom wall fitted over the ends of the stacked members and the block with the bottom abutting said "ends and theside Walls extending along the side portions of'the elongated members, and a fastener positioned through one of said side walls of the end cap, through the passageway, and into the block to provide a connection 'between the end cap, the stacked members and the block. I I

5. A package of elongated members of a type each having an angular cross section produced by two legportions extending at an angle to each other and having perforations therethrough comprising, a block having two end walls and four side walls all intersecting each other at corners to provide a parallelepiped shape to the block and having the same angular relationship as the elongated members at two opposite corners formed by said side 4 walls, a first plurality of nested elongated members stacked at one of said two opposite corners to conform to the corner and a second plurality of nested elongated members stacked to conform at the other of said two opposite corners to result in a substantially quadrilateral shape to the cross section of the elongated members on the block, the nested elongated mentbers being aligned so that certain of said perforations are in alignment with each other to provide a passageway through the stacked members leading to the, block for the reception of a fastener, an end cap in the form of four side walls connected to a bottom Wall fitted over the ends of the nested members and the block with the bottom wall abutting said ends and the side walls extending along the side portions of the elongated members, and a fastener positioned through one of said side walls of the end cap, through the passageway, and into the block to provide a connection betweenthe end cap, the stacked members and the block.

6. A package of perforated elongated members comprising a spacer block around which the elongated members are nested with certain of the perforations of the elongated members in alignment to provide a passageway to' the block, an end cap surrounding the perforated elongated members positioned on the block, and a fastener positioned through the end cap, the passageway and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,670,075 Wilson Feb. 23, 1954 

